Tag: Video Game

Well this is it. The last video game post of 2016. This year I suprisingly had a higher number of video game reviews then I had last year. So this should definitely be a more well rounded list. As always, the Best and worst of 2016 will come near the beginning of January after one last hurrah at the movie theater to pick up a few stragglers at the end. The video game best and worst list will be recorded and both lists will be published to Tanner Reviews as well as Project Derailed. So look forward to that coming up soon. But for now, let’s talk about one of my favorite games of 2016, Final Fantasy XV. After the abysmal showing of Final Fantasy XIII I had little faith in the franchises ability to keep modernizing as time goes on. The irritating main cast combined with the never ending corridor displayed a crisis, in my eyes, with the Final Fantasy franchise. After Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was a success, I thought they would just take the Ultima route and just focus 100% of their energy on the MMORPG scene. But boy was I wrong! Final Fantasy XV came back with a bang with a combination of classic RPG feels, modern setting, as well as a 1950’s/modern day motif, this has proven to truly be the sleeper hit of 2016 just as the year is coming to a close. Continue reading “Tanner Reviews Final Fantasy XV”→

It is that time of the year again! The end of 2016 is coming and I need to play catch up on my 2016 movies and video games. So this post is going to catch up on the ones that I have missed or don’t want to write a full review for. So with that said, here is a quick review of The Angry Birds Movie, Yoga Hosers, Doom (2016), and True Memoirs of an International Assassin.

The Angry Birds Movie

This movie is terrible. Yes, it is a kids movie and it is meant to just be good natured fun. But I know a good kids movie from a bad kids movie and this movie is terrible. It is just a cash in on the Angry Birds franchise which is growing more and more outdated by the day. The plot is just kind of… there. The characters aren’t interesting or relatable. It is nothing more than a fowl cash in.

Final Score: 1.5/5

Yoga Hosers

I honestly do not have the hate for this movie that a lot of people apparently have. It is fine and it isn’t that offensive. This is certainly one of Kevin Smith’s worst films which says something about the director. It is an ode to the current disenfranchised youth similar to that of A Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. If you are from the millenial generation, you will thoroughly enjoy it. If you were a fan of Tusk, you will enjoy it. But beyond that, it is a decent movie that will hopefully lead into Kevin Smith’s next movie, Moose Jaws.

Final Score: 2.5/5

Doom (2016)

You know, I’m sure that there were plenty of people who loved this game and I am also sure that they will play it for several years to come… But honestly, who the hell gives a shit about this game? I forgot it existed until just now which is how much of an impact it had on my memory. It is an okay remake that doesn’t have near enough of the impact as the original. It is just there and it will soon only be remembered by the die hard Doom fans among us.

Final Score: 2.5/5

True Memoirs of an International Assassin

I might be grading this movie on a curve… But honestly it isn’t the worst thing in the world. Sure, Kevin James will always be attached to the Adam Sandler School of Comedy and even if this wasn’t a Happy Madison production, it definitely had the stink of Sandler on it. But, honestly it isn’t that offensive and Kevin James is kind of charming in the movie. The movie isn’t good, but if you are an Adam Sandler-esque fan or just want to kill some time, check out the CIA version of Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Final Score: 2/5

Thank you for reading and please come back for the grand conclusion of 2016.

This may very well be one of the games that I have had to methodically play the longest in order to get a proper review out of it. But ultimately it was all worth it for a chance to play what might very well be the best mobile game I have ever played. 2016 has been a weird year for video games. When two of the potential game of the year winners happens to be a mobile game and Triple A games don’t have much of an opportunity…I don’t know how I am supposed to feel. But at either rate, this mobile gaming dating simulator may very well be one of the best video games of 2016. Continue reading “Tanner Reviews Mystic Messenger”→

FINALLY! There has been a solid game that I have played this year that could definitely be worthy of the 2016 Game of the Year honors. 2016 has not been a good year for gaming. Unlike other years where there were two or three awesome titles competing with one another, this year has been a series of disappointments, bombs, and forgettable Triple A turds with a resurgence of quality mobile games and a hand full of powerful indie darlings. When Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End sat in my Top 3 for the better part of a year and the only reason that a fun, but otherwise, forgettable game sat there for so long is because other games were just plain bad… That is saying something. But man, do I get that good ol’ fashion great game feel after playing Civilization VI. Finally, a game released in 2016 that I can play for hours on end and never get bored.

I’m a huge fan of the series as anyone will know, so the game would certainly have to fuck up pretty bad in order for me to not like it. But to tempt me away from my Civ V comfort zone and away from arguably the best game in the series is not easy task. But I will be damned if they aren’t seriously tempting me with some awesome new additions that make some of the lack of content disappear from my mind’s eye. Continue reading “Tanner Reviews Civilization VI”→

Well that certainly was an experience. As to be expected, I am reviewing this episode to episode and since the third episode tends to be the start of the rising action to the climax, this one will more than likely be the most well reviewed. I have to say that, unlike the other two, this episode was action packed from start to finish. Including potentially hooking up with Catwoman, seeing your fame and fortune town to sunder, dealing with the aftermath of the debate crisis, and revealing the true identity of the leader of the Children of Arkham… My god this one was an absolute roller coaster. While it still has its flaws, this episode was definitely enjoyable!

Conclusion

When the biggest complaint that I have about this episode is the fact that Bruce Wayne being dragged through the dirt for his father’s deeds is somewhat a silly and bullshit plot point, that definitely says a lot about the game that has been improving since its first episode.

The story is truly into high gear, you get to witness a truly heart breaking transformation of Harvey Dent to Harvey Two Face, and the reveal of the true leader of the Children of Arkham is jaw dropping. At this point, I’m looking forward to see where the game goes from here.

2016 has been a weird year when it comes to video games and certainly not in a good way. While the holiday season is quickly approaching, the majority of this year can be summed up as a bunch of Triple A let downs and a slew of decent indie games. Sure XCOM 2 and Dark Souls III came out. But even those were considered to be decent, but mainly forgettable at best. 2013, this year is not. While I hope to get a good review of XCOM 2 before the year is out, now I am stuck to reviewing indie games on Steam that my friends and I stumble upon to create a semi decent best and worst of 2016. With that being said, let’s talk about Layers of Fear. Ever since Amnesia: The Dark Descent came out, there seems to be a steady stream of copy cats and re-creators out there who are looking to capture the terror and lightning-in-a-bottle fear that that game managed to create. The exploring a random spoopy house when shit starts to go horrifically wrong whether it be by stalking evil creature or by hallucinogenic paintings, these things seem to be all over the damn place. While Layers of Fear is certainly not the worst offender of this list, the game presents a decent showing that comes part and parcel with tropes that have already been done to great extent in the past. Continue reading “Tanner Reviews Layers of Fear”→

The year is creeping towards the end and with that comes the best and worst of 2016. As always, there are a few movies and video games that I catch late or just lose track of time and forget to review. While a review of Firewatch will be coming up soon, there is a multitude of stuff that I just decide to cover in little mini reviews. Typically I do this in December, but since I have nothing better to write about today, I decided to just go ahread and throw three up to give a quick and dirty review on.

10 Cloverfield Lane

I’m going to be a curmudgeon again. This movie has received generally good reviews and held a percentage on Rotten Tomatoes that was well into the 90’s. I can see the appeal of it, but the whole clausterphobic bunker thing just wasn’t really what I was looking for as a sequel to the original Cloverfield which was, at the time, unique and grandiose. It feels as if a reverse The Purge and went from this insular premise to a cool grandiose one, this series has gone from cool grandiose intrigue to a low budget tight bunker film.

Final Score: 2.5/5

London Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen was not a well reviewed movie by me. It was a poor man’s Die Hard, with a less talented Gerard Butler on the main cast,and came across as more of a jingoist terrorsploitation film that told little to no story. London Has Fallen is the sequel… I don’t know what else to really say. It is the same damn thing just in London this time. It is a lazy movie that hopes that the power of Morgan Freeman will be enough to shield the fact that it is an absolutely terrible movie.

Final Score: 1/5

Dark Souls III

What is there to say about Dark Souls that hasn’t already been said? The original game in the franchise is going to be known as an iconic game of its time. It was the game made for hardcore gamers in a day and age when video games have become much less challenging and much more easily digestible by the masses. The second installment of the game started to give a little more hand holding and the increased hand holding continues in Dark Souls III. Now don’t get me wrong, from what I have seen the game is still a challenge. But as time and popularity continues to grow, captialism dictates that you need to widen your clientele. With that, the fangs of Dark Souls will continue to be filed down. It is certainly the weakest of the three, but still an absolutely solid play through.

Final Score: 3.5/5

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